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Nurse Dragged Out

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On July 26th, a nurse named Alex Wubbels was working at the University of Utah hospital. She ignored an order from a Salt Lake City police officer to draw blood from a truck driver who was in a coma. The entire incident was recorded on a body camera attached to another officer, and the footage has since gone viral. The nurse explained hospital policy, meaning the officer simply did not have permission to draw the patient’s blood. This resulted in Wubbels being dragged out and arrested as security guards, employees and patients stood by watching in confusion. The order made by the cop broke both hospital policy and state laws. The nurse has since been released. Chiefs from both police departments and the mayor have apologized for the incident. Two officers were put on paid leave. It turns out the officer was was also a part-time paramedic. He has since been fired from that job. The chief of police has promised to put his officers through additional training. After discussions, the hospital felt as though university police and security were not willing to make changes, so the hospital decided to change their policy. According to the new policy, police officers are not allowed to interact with nurses or wait in the patient-care areas. Instead, they will be directed to the floor supervisor. This policy is intended to allow nurses to focus their full attention on their patients while other officials respond to police requests. Nurse Wuebbels is being hailed as a hero for protecting her patient’s rights. She has yet to decide whether or not to file a lawsuit.